Substantial Hike in Minimum Support Prices for Kharif Crops
13-May-2026 04:45 PM
New Delhi. The Central Government has announced a significant hike in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Kharif crops for the 2026-27 marketing season—compared to the 2025-26 season—with the exception of maize and moong (green gram). This move is expected to incentivize farmers to expand the acreage under various crops. The sowing of Kharif crops is scheduled to commence next month (June). The proposal to increase the MSP for Kharif crops was approved during a crucial meeting held today by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
Under this initiative, the MSP for paddy (rice) for the 2026-27 Kharif season has been raised by ₹72 compared to the 2025-26 season. Consequently, the MSP has risen from ₹2,369 to ₹2,441 per quintal for the 'Common' grade, and from ₹2,389 to ₹2,461 per quintal for the 'Grade A' variety.
Among coarse cereals, the MSP for Jowar (sorghum) has been increased by ₹324. With this hike, the MSP for Hybrid Jowar has risen from ₹3,699 to ₹4,023 per quintal, while the MSP for Maldandi Jowar has gone up from ₹3,749 to ₹4,073 per quintal. The MSP for Bajra (pearl millet) has been fixed at ₹2,900 per quintal—an increase of ₹125 from ₹2,775—and the MSP for Ragi (finger millet) has been set at ₹5,205 per quintal, marking an increase of ₹319 from ₹4,886.
Surprisingly, the MSP for maize has seen a marginal increase of only ₹10, rising from ₹2,400 to ₹2,410 per quintal. As far as pulse crops are concerned, for the 2026-27 season—compared to 2025-26—the MSP for Arhar (Tur) has been increased by ₹450, rising from ₹8,000 to ₹8,450 per quintal, while the MSP for Urad has been raised by ₹400, going from ₹7,800 to ₹8,200 per quintal. However, the MSP for Moong has seen a modest increase of only ₹12, rising from ₹8,768 to ₹8,780 per quintal.
Among oilseed crops, the MSP for Groundnut has been increased by ₹254—from ₹7,263 in the 2025-26 season to ₹7,517 per quintal; the MSP for Sunflower has been raised by ₹622, from ₹7,721 to ₹8,343 per quintal; the support price for Sesame has been increased by ₹500, from ₹9,846 to ₹10,346 per quintal; the MSP for Soybean has been raised by ₹380,
from ₹5,328 to ₹5,708 per quintal; and the support price for Nigerseed has been increased by ₹515, from ₹9,537 to ₹10,052 per quintal. The Minimum Support Price for Cotton has witnessed a substantial hike of ₹557 per quintal, rising from ₹7,710 to ₹8,267 per quintal for the medium-staple grade, and from ₹8,110 to ₹8,667 per quintal for the long-staple varieties.